August 2011
2 posts
5 things you should know before starting a company
I posted this on VentureBeat this morning. The original article is here: http://bit.ly/nQbD4z
Despite the rocky nature of the stock market these days, it sure seems like a great time to start a company.
The stories of early stage founders graduating from Y Combinator and TechStars with $8-$10 million pre-money valuations soon after graduation are encouraging. And late stage valuations appear...
Innovators, Imitators and Idiots
How Groupon and 491 Daily Deal clones destroy capital on email marketing
I originally posted this on on Business Insider here: http://read.bi/nbtI3L
On Groupon’s warpath toward a $20B IPO, the company is spending $2.3M a day on consumer marketing – roughly twice as much as Target. Last Wednesday the SEC rightly criticized Groupon for removing this marketing expense from their profit equation....
December 2010
2 posts
2 tags
The Hiring Mistake That Could Bring Down Your...
Human capital is an amazing resource, one that drives outcomes for companies across life-cycle stages. In the startup world, where most companies fail, founders should fight tooth and nail for a team that will outperform their competitors.
Some entrepreneurs seem to confuse warm seats with progress after closing institutional capital. This is one (of many) lessons that I didn’t think I needed to...
If You’re Going After Groupon’s Market, Bring...
The rumored $6 billion offer Google dangled in front of Groupon grabbed headlines as observers wondered why the search giant would pay such a premium. The proposed acquisition also raised questions about the vigor returning to Silicon Valley’s start-up culture, where an enormous number of “Groupon clones” have hatched in recent months.
Apart from margins that border on the ridiculous, driving...
April 2010
1 post
Why MBAs Fail at Entrepreneurship
5 pitfalls for recent grads starting a company
I began working on Postabon, a bootstrapped start-up, after I graduated from Harvard Business School last June. My co-founders and I slept on lots of couches, worked from coffee shops, and invested in a minimum viable product. We recently closed a Series A round with Spark Capital.
It’s been an awesome experience. The past eight months changed my...
March 2010
1 post
5 tags
South By Southwest (SXSW) on a Budget
This week thousands of visitors will inject $100M into the Austin economy during the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference. Plane tickets, hotels and incidental expenses can quickly add up for entrepreneurs, filmmakers and/or musicians. The Postabon team is always looking for a great deal – here are five tips that may be helpful next year:
1) Buy Aftermarket Tickets: SXSW encourages visitors...